Linda McMahon, Vince McMahon and TKO – the parent company of World Wrestling Entertainment – filed on Tuesday to have the amended complaint in the Ring Boy lawsuit dismissed due to a lack of jurisdiction.
All three defendants made separate filings. The defendants had filed similar motions earlier in the case, challenging Maryland as improper for the case to proceed. They asked the court to dismiss the case with prejudice.
The amended complaint was filed in April after more Ring Boys were added to the suit, making a total of eight plaintiffs. The complaint alleged Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon and WWE were negligent in preventing several teen and pre-teen boys from being assaulted by employees who worked in WWE. The company often hired pre-teen and teen boys to assemble rings prior to the 1990s.
The plaintiffs allege Vince and Linda McMahon were aware of the actions of their employees and were negligent in preventing the assaults from occurring.
In Maryland, cases of negligence in sex crimes cases do not have a statute of limitations after a state Supreme Court ruling.
None of the employees have been convicted in a criminal court for sex crimes. WWE had settled with former Ring Boy Tom Cole, who said he had been assaulted. Cole committed suicide in 2021 and was one of several former Ring Boys to accuse WWE employees of sexual assault while they were children.